Why I love Calabasas, and why I'll never live there


There are few places on planet earth that have made me feel more at home than Calabasas, California, even though I've never lived there, and never will.

I live in Arizona, so when I refer to Calabasas, I just say "Los Angeles". But it's my Los Angeles. And actually, it's not Los Angeles at all.

My Los Angeles is centered in Thousand Oaks, and goes from Santa Barbara to Woodland Hills. If you know your California geography, you will be saying "huh?", but when you're there, it all flows together. Other than seeing more surfers than usual along the Ventura county line, it's all the same.

The reason that I moved to Phoenix is that I wanted to buy a house, which I did. In California, in my late twenties, despite having a good-paying corporate job, I despaired of ever being a homeowner. A lot of people were buying houses up in the desert, in places like Palmdale, and commuting their lives away. And when people suggested that I look at buying a house there I thought, well, I might as well live in Phoenix. Spending over three hours a day commuting wasn't what I considered living!

So I moved back to Phoenix. I got a good corporate job, I bought a house in Glendale, which is a nice little suburb. And I promised myself that I would still visit California. But I never really did, until a little over ten years ago, and "the car guys".

One of my oldest and dearest friends, whose name I will not mention here, sells classic cars at the Barrett-Jackson car auction in Scottsdale. He lives in LA. And for many years he has been visiting me here, camping out for a week or so, and bringing whoever he wants to, with my full permission. And that included a good friend of his from Calabasas, whose name I will also not mention here. I just call them all "the car guys".

All I asked in exchange for using my house was the opportunity to do the same in California. And I did visit a few times. And then I visited Calabasas.

Something clicked for me in Calabasas. It's as if my DNA just matched up with the place. I could breathe. I felt at home. It's so hard to describe, but it's an amazing feeling. From that point on, I was determined to go back, which I have done for many years, and will be doing again this year.

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